Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft
by Super Widget
Summary: A retelling of the third TR game. I wrote this due to a lot of things that bugged me about this game (plot holes, murdering innocent security guards etc). I try to keep nostalgic while not copying directly from the game so you'll see my spin on it here. Hope you enjoy. R
1. Lara's Home

The engine of the quad bike roared as Lara sailed around the bends of the dirt track. Bumps and vibrations shuddered through her body and the wind whipped at her face and bare arms. She loved the quad bike but felt her track was a bit too short and a bit too easy to navigate. She had often considered building an extension onto what was once her hedge maze, but seeking that kind of planning permission was always a nightmare, no matter how high up you were in aristocracy. Still, she found it so increasingly difficult to get her much needed adrenaline fix at home these days that perhaps a little more renovation would be worth the hassle. She needed the challenge.

Her thoughts dispersed as the quad bike jerked violently. Something was wrong. The handle bars swung back and forth out of control and suddenly the bike collapsed forward on one side. Lara grimaced as she watched one of the front wheels pass by and was too late to hit the brakes before the bike took a nose dive where the ground fell away into the underground tunnel. Lara let out an involuntary scream for the moment she was airborne, and was silenced when she hit the dirt, the tumbling bike narrowly missing her crumpled body. She lay there for a moment trying to catch the air that was knocked from her lungs, but only found herself with a mouthful of dirt. She spat in disgust but her mouth was too dry and she could feel grains of dirt settle between her teeth. She struggled to her feet, her legs and arms a little wobbly, and stretched her body in different places to test for injury. Apart from a few scrapes and bruises she was non the worse for wear. She wished she could say the same for her poor bike however. She sighed melodramatically, the thought of lugging that heap of metal and rubber up out of the tunnel was anything but appealing. She decided to leave it for the moment. She had spent all morning training and admitted to herself that a shower and a bit of breakfast was what she needed right now.

After a rigorous tooth brushing and one long hot shower, Lara slipped into a white vest and comfy loose fitting gym pants and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast: beans and toast with a cup of tea. Winston had often scoffed at her pedestrian taste in food but Lara always rebutted, "Beans are full of protein and Vitamin C, dear Winston, the cornerstone of any diet for a girl like me."

She proceeded to the dining room, switching on her hi-fi and flicking through the morning paper.

"A package arrived for you, Lady Croft."

Lara glanced up to see her faithful butler with a brown paper package in his arms.

"Thank you, Winston," Lara replied, "You can just leave it on the table."

"Will there be anything else, milady?" the old man inquired, setting the package down gently.

"As a matter of fact," she pondered, "Would you be a dear and order a new quad bike for me? The other one has…reached the end of its track I'm afraid."

"Yes, milady." Winston gave a curt nod and left the dining room.

Lara stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth and examined the package. There were many stamps on the front originating from India. The return address was from Prof. Noreen Bailey of the Institute of Archaeology in Delhi. Bailey was an old colleague of Lara's who left Britain to teach archaeology in India. She hadn't heard from the professor in many years and was curious as to what was in the package. Lara wiped the crumbs from her hands against her gym pants and carefully undid the brown paper wrapping. Inside was a binder with a collection of historical notes, sketches and photographs. Attached was a letter written in Prof. Bailey's handwriting.

_Dear Lara,_

_I would like to share with you my latest discovery while studying in Delhi. Remember my trace findings referring to an ancient unknown tribe residing near the Ganges? Well my years of research have not been in vain. I've discovered the location of a unexcavated temple said to be that of the very tribe I've been digging into. They were known as the Infada tribe and remained solely reclusive from other tribes as - and I do hope my translation is correct in this - apparently they possessed a weapon of mass destruction. Other tribes had migrated far from the Infada people out of fear of their power. This is why there is so little evidence about this tribe. But now I have found the location of their temple as you can see from the photographs. Isn't this exciting, Lara? The problem is, the land surrounding it is quite treacherous as the area is prone to serious mudslides, and no one here has the stones to set up an excavation. This is why I'm writing to you, Lara. I may be on the other side of the world, but I'm no stranger to your reputation. So what say you, Ms. Croft? Up for a little adventure? I already have permission to excavate the site, just…be a dear and try not to damage anything. _

_I await your response with anticipation._

_Yours sincerely_

_Noreen Bailey_

_P.S. The "weapon" I mentioned is supposedly resting inside this temple. The documentation I have sent includes sketches of this artefact. If does indeed exist, I trust you will retrieve it and return it to the institute for further research. Be careful with it. There is nothing in the world quite like it so you understand it's value. I would very much appreciate your participation. _

Lara smiled. She hadn't had a proper adventure since she inadvertently blew up a small portion of the Great Wall of China last year. This would provide the adrenaline rush was desperately seeking. And moreover, the professor's research was certainly intriguing. Lara finished her breakfast and proceeded to sort a flight to India.


	2. Jungle Part I

_**Author's Note: Okaaaay, so this was a lot harder to do than I imagined. I wanted to make it feel like TR 3 but not write down the level design word for word. Saying things like "and then there were spikes and then there was a boulder and then she climbed a ledge" over and over doesn't make for great narrative. I've specified most of the level design here at the opening of the game but I think for much of the unremarkable stuff later I'll leave it less detailed. Let me know what you think.**_

It was a sweltering thirty-three degrees Celsius in India. The heat was oppressive and the rain that fell in heavy intermittent drops did little in the way of providing relief.

The co-ordinates that Prof. Bailey had supplied led Lara to the top of a muddy hill in the middle of a dense jungle. Lara, observing her surroundings, made note of the rows of spikes positioned further down the hill.

_The Infada tribe were a territorial sort_, she mused.

With no option to descend safely Lara cautiously stepped forward, letting gravity and the loose ground beneath her carry her down. Remembering her skiing lessons she leaned forward slightly to maintain balance. She proceeded steadily until the ground suddenly became wetter and Lara found herself wheeling her arms forward to avoid falling on her back. She was moving faster now and the first row of spikes was zooming towards her. She bent her knees a little, preparing her well trained muscles to spring. She timed her moment and leaped forward, somersaulting over the deadly spikes that could have impaled her. Her momentum increased, the second row of spikes ever closer. At this speed she stopped thinking and just jumped well timed jumps, instinct driving her quicker than consciousness. Before she knew it she had reached the base of the hill, her momentum launching her forward, arms flailing until she crashed into the trunk of a bent tree.

"_Oof_!"

Lara stepped back, nursing her bruised forehead - the first of many bumps to come, she reckoned. She found herself on a ledge. The stone beneath her feet was definitely carved by hand, she could tell despite evidence of erosion. Beyond was a sort of courtyard overgrown by vegetation after centuries of abandon. She hopped down an examined her perimeter. The walls featured carvings typically styled of the late Vedic period, though they too had suffered erosion under thousands of years of rain and vegetation growth. A large tree had damaged a lot of the flooring with its overgrown roots. To the left was an impassable swamp which was not very useful. Below the lip of the hill were two iron wrought windows, one of which was recessed behind the bent tree. Lara climbed up behind the tree and examined the iron lattice. She was impressed by the metal work. The Infada tribe were indeed an advanced people.

"Hmm…" she pondered, giving the window a shake and finding it wouldn't budge. She glanced through the lattice work but it was too dark to see what was beyond. She frowned slightly, wondering what to do next.

She hopped back down and started walking forward from where she began when something on the floor of the yard caught her eye. It was a first aid kit, quite a modern one too. She wasn't the only one here it seemed. As she kneeled to pick it up she was taken by surprise by a flash of brown fur. A cheeky little rhesus monkey had snapped up the medical kit in its paws and regarded Lara as if mocking her.

"Now you give that back," Lara scolded but the monkey had dashed ahead taking the med kit with it. Lara gave chase, following the animal through a long hallway on the opposite side of the courtyard.

"I don't want to have to shoot you," she said drawing a pistol. As if the monkey had understood her, it dropped the item and sprung out of the end of the hallway that overlooked a body of water to the left. Against the wall before Lara was a large lever. Considering the rust damage from over the years, Lara doubted it would still work but nevertheless gave it a go. She pulled, putting as much weight on it is she could until the lever gave in with a groan and a lazy grinding of gears. She heard the grate of metal against stone coming from the courtyard.

"Nice!" she said, pleased with herself.

She collected the medical kit on her way back to the courtyard and climbed back up the ledge behind the bent tree. The lattice panel was now open giving her access to the room beyond. It was still too dark to see properly but from the dim light she could make out another lever at the end of the room. Praying the mechanism still worked she gave it a pull. It moved easily, clearly not as rusted as the other as it was tucked away from the elements. But something wasn't right. The ground beneath Lara rumbled and sound of something large grinding against stone sounded to the left. Lara whipped around. Emerging from the darkness loomed a wall of long, sharp spikes. Lara gasped and dove into the hollowed recess of the other window, but not quick enough to avoid a light skinning of the back of her thighs. She hissed through her teeth, clinging onto the iron lattice as the spikes passed by. She made a mental note to be extra vigilant of traps. There was something about this temple that the natives were trying to protect. Lara wondered if this Infada artefact was as unique as Prof. Bailey made it out to be.

She studied her legs, finding they weren't too much the worse for wear but decided to rest a bit until the minimal bleeding had clotted. She sat in the windowsill, her back against one wall, her feet propped against the other, and rooted through her back pack until she found her journal. Her small leather bound journal, along with a pen were kept in an airtight folder to protect them from water damage on her adventures. She flipped it open and started scribbling her thoughts on her findings so far as she had promised Prof. Bailey. She briefly sketched images of the wall carvings and marked an estimated date of origin next to them. She also sketched the lattice windows and levers, and listed a couple of theories as to how they worked. She wished knew for sure but that would probably involve deconstructing the mechanisms and possibly causing irreparable damage to the architecture.

When she was done, she packed her journal away and shuffled out of the windowsill. The scrapes on the back of her legs had dried and the stinging had subsided. She found that she was already dehydrated from the heat, and the sweat on her skin made her feel uncomfortable. She had packed fresh water with her but decided to ration it for later.

Lara made her way back to the next window only to find that it had shut again. She contemplated pulling the lever again, but would that re-trigger the spiked wall and would she make it out on time? Light from an opening above that was previously hidden by the spiked wall, caught her eye. She climbed it and found herself overlooking a piranha infested river. Attached to the roof of the opening was a zip line that traversed across the water to the other side.

"This doesn't look Vedic at all," Lara said with a frown. She wondered who else was here, if Prof. Bailey knew about them and whether or not they posed a threat. She was starting to feel a little disconcerted about it all, but with nowhere else to go and her curiosity getting the better of her she grabbed hold of the zip line and sailed across the river until she reached the stump of a tree. The tree looked as though it had been recently cut down and the foliage ahead had certainly been hacked away to provide a path.

"Tourists," Lara muttered with a roll of her eyes.

From the tree stump, she took a running jump into the passageway ahead. She stumbled through, her foot catching in some lianas, and fell gracelessly on the forest floor below. Apart from feeling a little silly she remained somewhat unscathed and proceeded on, undeterred by her fall. Despite the shade from the canopies above, it was still hot... though there is a difference between heat and humidity. Heat has a source such as the sun, and can be avoided given the right shelter. Humidity could not be avoided, and it was all around Lara, oppressive and claustrophobic, enveloping her body and filling her lungs. Sweat ran freely from her face and her lips were dry and cracked. Though having been exposed to all kinds of extreme temperatures from her years of adventuring, having been born and raised in England meant she was more accustomed to the cold and rainy weather there. She would have liked to tell her eleven year old self to appreciate her local climate.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the crack of a branch to her left. She paused, ears straining to hear any other movement.

"Must have been a bird," she dismissed after silence prevailed. She pushed on, eager to follow through with her quest. There was another crack and as Lara whipped her head towards the source of the sound, she found herself to be the target of a large Bengal tiger's hunt.

"Crap!" she hissed.


End file.
